Working From Home, Homeschooling, and Making it Work

Being a homeschooling, work from home mom has both its challenges and also its very unique perks. I honestly feel like I was handed my current job as a wonderful gift. It was a little over three years ago and I was out hiking with a friend and she presented me with an offer I absolutely could not refuse. It was to do some online marketing for a homeschool site that I was already familiar with, because it was the curriculum that we had been using even before my children's third grade online curriculum. I am able to work from home for Time4Learning AND I get to feed my passion for books by being an admin for Homeschoolliterature.com. To say I was ecstatic is an understatement. (years later I still am!)

A few years ago I was also blessed to do homeschool curriculum reviews for the Old Schoolhouse Magazine. We were able to try out all kinds of fabulous curriculum and I did not have to spend much money at all for a couple of years on our curriculum. I've never really posted about this in my own blog but both my husband I also dabble in Doterra essential oils. Yeah, we are oily people. ;)

Here are just a handful of benefits I have found being a homeschooling, work from home mom-

1. I can set my own hours

2. I'm already a homebody so this helps me to able to stay at home sweet home.

3. I do not need an extensive wardrobe.

4. If a child is sick I do not have to call in to work...I just adjust my schedule around my family's needs.

5. I get to spend lots of quality time with my family.

6. I can pick what hours my children work best at and work it into my own hours.

7. To some extent as long as I have access to a computer I can bring my work with me if we take a short trip.


Of course there is also the other side of the coin-

1. I have no insurance as I only work part time. This is probably one of my biggest stressors. Fortunately I am pretty healthy and I am currently not using any medications but paying for health care out of pocket when I do need it is not fun.

2. Sometimes too much family time, hahah! There are definitely times when all of us need a short period of time away from one another.

3. Not being able to leave work...in a building. What do I mean by this? I work from my computer and there are times I admit that I'm looking at work related stuff when I should be doing home/family things.

4. I do not need an extensive wardrobe BUT there are times I should probably dress up more. No, I do not wear my yoga pants everyday,haha, but I live in jeans and a t-shirt. I am now realizing that my daughter is picking up on this and it is hard to get her to wear anything else. Nothing wrong with wearing jeans and a t-shirt but it is fun to dress up every once in awhile.

This isn't for everyone but there are some key tips in making it work for my family-

I am not a real stickler for a schedule....it seems like every year I try to adhere to one but it never ends up working in the end. Yet still with the many activities we have- school work, athletic events and practices, field trips, music lessons and work, I do have a bit of a relaxed schedule.

Most every week day I carve out at least 2 hour chunks of time in the day to work. Tuesdays it is 10 am- 12 pm but most days it is 3 pm- 5 pm with an occasional midnight work hour thrown in as I am definitely a night owl.

Our 13 year old daughter is an early riser and ends up getting up before us and doing a majority of her work before we even wake up. (did I admit that?) She does a lot of interest led activities in the afternoon and also reads a lot. In the evenings either hubby or I will help her with her math program which is an area she needs extra help with. After that she practices her violin.

With our 15 year old son with Prader-Willi Syndrome and autism I supervise his computer work with about a 2 hour chunk of time either in the morning or before dinner depending on what part of the day I work. In the afternoon he has a short quiet time in his room followed by working on some self help skills. (I will admit here to my special needs friends...when my son has a quiet time I typically take a short nap....it is what it is!)

Also, most every day unless it is REALLY cold we will either go walking or hiking for 3-5 miles.

Housecleaning? Well I'm finally coming to the realization that my house is not going to look like the pictures I see in magazines. I am always working on de-cluttering but with having two teenagers now, I have a lot of help around the house. I try and keep the living room, dining room, and kitchen especially as neat as possible.

It also is very important and beneficial to connect with other homeschool moms who work from home. An awesome way to do that is through this linkedin group called Homeschooling and Working Parents. What better way to get advice than from other homeschool parents who work from home?

I can't tell you how much I appreciate a particular friend who on occasion will take Z~girl with her own daughter to swimming. We all went last time to the homeschool swimming but I think it is good for her to get away from us and also from her brother too on occasion. I hope to reciprocate that in the future!

I feel blessed as my hubby is often home too and able to watch the kids so I can go out to coffee with a friend, or a hike....this month I'm looking forward to going to a mom's cookie exchange!

The way I do things may seem hectic but that is what works for our family and that is the key, finding what works for your own individual family. Having a child with special needs demands flexibility in scheduling.

What are some things that I will be working on in the coming new year?

There is definitely room for improvement in how I do things though. The main thing I want to do after Christmas is find a better space to work at that is quieter as I am easily distracted. Of course this would mean an additional computer as a lot of the kids school work is done on the computer.

I want to prioritize going on a date with my husband at least once a month instead of once a year. Our daughter is about old enough to stay home alone but I know she wouldn't be comfortable doing so. Our son requires near constant supervision so finding someone to watch him is no simple task.

I really want to get back into doing some of the hobbies that I love but have not done in a long time like sewing and art. It's easy to put me time on a back burner but I need to change that.

Is working from home and homeschooling easy? No, but it is definitely doable and I am thankful that I am able to make it work for our family!

Do not lose your spark!

Today I went to my daughter's violin lessons. Normally I use this alone time and stay home (A~man goes too) to work and my husband takes both of them. It had been such a long time I really wanted to go so I did. Watching her play the violin is so wonderfully entertaining. *disclaimer...I'm about to brag* We have never had to tell her to practice her violin. She will lose track of time and we will sometimes have to tell her to finish up in fact. She exhibits such complete joy and extreme concentration while playing and today was no different. The girl was practically dancing during her lesson while playing!

Also while watching her I was reminded that over the last several years friends that knew me when I was her age would say how much she looks like I did. I would always think to myself "REALLY?" Because when I look at her I see such a beauty that comes from inside to the outside that I couldn't believe she could look like I did. That was not something I saw in myself at that age. But today I SAW myself. The same nose, chin,   eyes, and hands. What was I missing at that age that had made me not see it before? Her SPARK. She has an incredible spark. Her and I always tease that we have most people fooled into believing that we are quiet and serious individuals. If someone doesn't know us well they probably think we are very quiet and serious.

HOW did I lose that spark when I was little? Why did my spark go out? When I was just a bit younger than her...probably 8 or 9, I started to get bullied and made fun of. In an extreme way. I grew really tall in a short amount of time and I was very skinny. From age 8-30 I had people accusing me of having an eating disorder. (I never did)  This caused me to hide away completely into myself until I probably was about 14 or 15. I also played an instrument for most of my school years and was considered very good. But I didn't have the joy and pleasure for playing the flute that I see when she plays her violin or fiddle songs. Oh, and I rarely practiced unless being nagged to do it.

I guess that is one of the many reasons I decided homeschooling would be good for both kids. I did not want them to have to experience what I went through. Yes, I know there will be (and in A~man's case there has been a couple) times when they will be hurt by others. That is just life period. I just hope and pray that I can raise both children to keep the confidence and exuberance that both of them have in such a high quantity so that if...no not if...when someone treats them badly it will not cause their spark to go out like mine did. Also I pray that I can continue to show them to treat others the way they want to be treated. Bullying leaves scars that can last a lifetime.

Learning outside the box

I must admit. When we started to homeschool back in 2005,  <oh my goodness I just realized we have been homeschooling a year longer than I remembered!> initially I tried to replicate "school". Back then Z was still going to preschool and it was just A~man and I in the mornings. Back then it worked though...as he had gone from being in a preschool for 3 years and that final year he was in kindergarten. So he was used to a classroom approach. Over the years things have changed though. 

There were a few years that I tried to teach the kids together for their formal sit down work, but then Z~girl passed A~man scholastically. That's around the time we started using Time4Learning for our main curriculum. The way we do it now is that Z~girl can do half of her online curriculum by herself (the Z~girl wakes up before me as she wants to be done early!) then, I help her later in the day with the things she needs more help with like math. 

After breakfast I do A~man's homeschool curriculum with him as he sometimes needs to be redirected back to it as he is easily distracted. He does so well using the computer though! It keeps his attention for the most part, and he really seems to enjoy the accomplishment of finishing his "morning work". (as we call it) In the afternoon things are a bit looser and we are able to explore some of the fun products we review for the Old Schoolhouse...and it's a great time to explore their other interests! 

Recently my husband started working as a "handyman" for another homeschool family that runs a vacation rental business. On occasion he is able to bring one of he kids with him, while I "do school" with the other one at home. Both have been having a blast learning how to fix stuff! Amazingly Z~girl in particular has taken off with it! In fact she asked Santa for a toolbox for Christmas! This is a brag but my girl has been fixing stuff right and left the last month. 

I have had several chairs that have needed some work done and she has fixed every one! Plus she has put felt coasters on the bottoms of all of our chairs plus an ottoman in our living room. Saturday morning I woke up to find her putting in a new towel bar in her bathroom that we had bought the previous day. The thought was that her AND daddy would do it...but she took matters in her own hands!

Don't get me wrong math, reading, history, plus the importance of spelling cannot be belittled in the whole learning experience. BUT I know I for one...ok and my husband too, did not learn things like this growing up. We learned things at school and of course our parents taught us a lot but ultimately after going to school, sports practice, practicing the flute (me), chores, there was little time for anything more but eating with the family and then doing homework. 

I truly value the fact that our family has time to teach beyond "scholastics". We are able to pursue their outside interests which in my opinion are just as important as learning the 3 R's! Z~is learning to sew, crochet, home repair, animal care, (her own plus volunteering at a farm) it goes on and on. A~man? What better way to learn to live in the real world but to learn in the real world instead of siting at a desk? He loves to help me take care of the yard and to mow with his reel mower. (a mower without a motor) Also, he is an awesome helper cleaning the house!

Plus, many of these outside interests can be incorporated into our whole learning experience. Learning about animals, taking care of plants and gardening are definitely science related! Here is a picture of Z as she is looking for a nut the right measurement for the screw from the chair she is fixing. She found it completely herself and I love the independence and confidence she has from figuring it out almost entirely by herself. 

Homeschooling is truly a personal decision but it is one that I am so thankful that we have had the chance to experience.

Time4Learning has a great online homeschooling guide for people considering homeschooling. I wish I could have read something like this when we were starting our homeschool journey. Homeschooling is an adventure. There are bumps in the road along with the joys, twists and turns, but at the end of the day/month/year it's so nice to see how far your children and your family have grown. 

Homeschool and Holidays?

What do other homeschoolers do during the holidays? We pretty much homeschool year round, except for taking a month off in the summer, and a day here and there throughout the year. I'm thinking about taking a break in December, BUT instead of just not doing school work....we will probably just do things differently. I have learned that completely taking off from school results in a loss of routine and a lot of boredom for both kids but especially A~man. He does not do well with complete downtime. With all of the excitement that goes along with this time of year I need something to distract him in particular. 

I would love to hear what other homeschoolers do! I do know that we will take a break from our online curriculum, plan some local seasonal activities like looking at Christmas lights, visiting a gingerbread house display, making some gifts and crafts, maybe go caroling, and go to some special church services. We will also make some cookies, although with the stress of PWS we limit that activity quite a bit. 

Meanwhile, I will go on a search for some unit studies or maybe even a lapbook to do over the next month. Does anyone know of any good ones about winter or Christmas that they would share with me? I might also make some flashcards to practice some spelling words over our break.

For now though, I will go decorate our tree!

Lego and Robotics Acadamy

Once a month we are fortunate enough to be able to participate in a Lego club. (it's a 4H club) It is much anticipated every month. I'm going to post a link to our wonderful leaders blog. She is a very good teacher to our group (my strength is NOT teaching a group lol) plus has 6 children, 3 of which are under 4!

Oh and there is a funny story about a certain A~man regarding milk. FWIW the child knows about "mama's milk" but is fascinated about the whole thing and asks moms a lot of questions about it. I have never ran into a mom offended by the questions...thankfully.

Here is her blog entry!

Lego Smart Creativity Contest Results!

I'm happy and thankful to announce that we won the Lego competition in the homeschool category! Well I say we...but it was truly the hubby and kids this time. I was the proud wifey/mama! It was really a wonderful experience. We were able to attend the Lego Education STEM Summit. Going in I was expecting maybe some negativity as far as homeschooling as all the other participants were either teachers from private schools or public schools. I couldn't have been more wrong! We so enjoyed meeting all of the other teachers that won the contest in their categories.

After a rather long drive ;) there, we arrived late afternoon and then went out to eat at a VERY nice restaurant with a representative from Lego, Debra Smith (who I cannot say enough good stuff about...she was wonderful!) and all of the other teachers that won in their category. I'm proud to say my kids were so well behaved (phew...but how could I expect any less? ;) and our family really enjoyed talking with the other teachers. The grand prize winner Dottie was a sweetheart!

The kids even met an astronaut!! Here they are with  Leland D. Melvin. His personal story is quite amazing I must add. He is in charge of the NASA education project. (they are linked up with Lego) Z has always been interested in outerspace and space travel so I feel so blessed that we had this opportunity.

Oh and I cannot forget that we were able to meet Stephan Turnipseed, president of LEGO Education North America. In fact I was sitting next to him at lunch! I really got a lot out of the Summit presentations and was once again really surprised how pro homeschool the presentations were.  It was very interesting hearing how Lego is used as a tool to teach science and technology and get kids in schools involved in wanting to learn.

I'm so thankful to God for giving us this opportunity! We will be giving part of our winnings to our 4H Lego/Robotics club.

Reasons for homeschooling

There are many different variables on how and why someone chooses to home school. Some families choose based on their religious beliefs and choose Christian curriculum and others choose a more secular homeschooling route. These are just a couple possible reasons. Depending on each state's requirements parents are able to make the choices that are best suited to their family. Our reasons for homeschooling were that the public school was not meeting the educational needs of our child with special needs. They quite honestly did not know what to do with him and were not open to us trying to work with them to make it work. The attempts they made in the the first of his kindergarten year were very hard on all of us mentally.

Fortunately homeschooling was a good fit for us. I will be the first to admit some days here can be difficult. We are able to get through those days with love, patience (most days;) On the days that our patience has met it's limit we are able to forgive for the occasional harsh word. (grumpiness...me! ;) Fortunately the good days far outweigh the challenging ones! Although not all of our curriculum is Christian based (but it doesn't contradict our beliefs) we depend on our faith in God to help us all, even hubby and I, to try and achieve our  individual bests.

Raingutter Regatta = extreme anxiety for a mom with a child that has Prader-Willi syndrome

A~man has been in scouts for 3 years and is now finishing his Bear year. I will admit that I truly only do Boy Scouts so A~man can have social interaction with just boys (which is a challenge for him)...plus the leaders are awesome, accepting and inclusive. Also I love the activities they do which are SO what our family likes to do with it being nature and the big outdoors focussed.  Most parents...or so it seems...go 101% with their boys in scouts. Admittedly I do about 75%. I am hoping I can pull it together so he can complete what he needs to for the year. But on top of geography club,  drama club, Brownies, 4H, Z~girls running club, Z's soccer, A's occupational therapy and HOMESCHOOLING...I am doing the best that I can. So I am really praying about what I need to do as far as activities for next year. I am a homebody and haven't been spending as much time at home as I would like!

Tonight we participated in the Raingutter Regatta . We go to meetings and a couple other extra events but due to hubby's work or our busy schedules we do not go to the extra stuff. Infact I have avoided the Regatta like the freakin PLAGUE. Why?  The boat part I am fine with but when they are finished they fill up the raingutters (foil over the top) with ICECREAM and the kids eat out of it. Now I am not a germ freek so that is not the issue at all. But as a mom of a child with PWS it is emotional for me. A typical child may eat and eat all crazy like but y'know what? he WILL get full...or throw up. A child with PWS does not know this "full" they would eat and eat and eat.  I was feeling such anxiety about it and wondering if it would end with me dragging him to the car. But you know what? That did not happen. YES I let him eat more icecream than I would normally do but then I whispered in his ear "3 more bites" then you are finished. I underestimated my boy...he was just fine and walked away. He did brag about how much he ate but so did all the other kids. This gives me hope that maybe...just maybe as he grows older he will be able to walk away from food...or at least be redirected to something else.

You know it's gonna be one of those days when.....

you wake up to find your son has chopped all his hair of with safety scissors. Yesterday he took a couple chunks out of it with my sewing scissors when my back was turned....or I was using the toilet....or doing something! I try to keep all scissors on top of the refridgerator but being the crafty bunch we are it's not too hard to find a pair if you are determined enough. WHY does he do this? I haven't a clue. He says he doesn't either. I'm guessing it is related to maybe the impulse control of the ADHD?? HE'S 10 THOUGH. I've learned yelling doesn't help (so I don't), swatting? no. So I told him he lost his favorite toy and cannot have soda till it grows out to a respectable length. Unfortunately it won't be grown in before the Vday swim party on Friday. My son will be the one with the baseball hat on in the pool. ;)

That pretty well set the mood for the day. Getting any school work accomplished was not happening. I think tomorrow will be a day off for us....to all get our humour back...a day of enjoying each other as it's getting to that point in the school year I am feeling burned out. The games and puzzles are out and waiting!

feeling overwhelmed....

It's been such a wonderful end of summer....begining of fall! Meeting a wonderful new group of homeschool friends....tons of homeschool events that are absolutely wonderful...no complaints there. In fact for the first time in ...gosh who knows how long...over a year I am going out with friends to a movie! no KIDS! woohoo! Our family has been on some many nice new hikes to local places we have never seen and the actual HOMESCHOOLING is going so well! Z learns so easily despite what I have no coined the "GIRL 'TUDE"...A~man is trying so hard..I have found such a wonderful match of curriculum...it's hard to fit all the fun learning in a day! I have also started trying to relearn crocheting...and also have been sewing. Oh and add in the exhibits we entered in the fair..I need to post pictures!!!

Now for the OVERWHELMED. My house is awful. A complete mess. Now there have been times when it is cluttered (there is no hope for me there with my love of books and fabric) but it needs scrubbed top to bottom. WHEN? Now just a disclaimer it is not "unhealthy dangerous dirty;)" but YUCK. My downtime is in the evenings I can't survive without it honestly. I do have someone doing respite with A~man once a week now for about 4-5 hours....but during that time I or we, if dh is not working like to spend extra time with Z~girl. Oh and we just joined the gym...where will I get the extra hours/energy for THAT??? ROTFLMAO.....

Aye aye aye....I need a housecleaner. Now I know in the whole picture I am accomplishing the IMPORTANT stuff....but geesh it would be nice to not be embarassed if the doorbell rings....you know instead of hiding in the closest......JK.....